2 Hidden Issues with Game Designing Programs

My idea for a youtube video upload fell apart (suffice to say, I need better screen recording software, or something), so I figured I should make up for it by filling out another one of the ideas I’ve had hanging out in my drafts. Actually, RockFlor (head of graphics for Megaman Battle Network Chrono X) uploaded the new track I was planning to upload, though in a different way, so you can still see (eh…hear) what I was planning to upload. I’ll be uploading it myself soon as well. Anyway, onward with today’s post.

So you’ve just found a cool new game design program. It lets you create any type of game you want, all without any coding! It does everything for you, even coming with a ton of pre-made graphics and sounds and music so your projects will be ready to go in the snap of a finger! And, best of all, you can SELL any game you make! You’ll be a rich one-man game design factory! Right?

Unfortunately, no, at least, not that easily. You will mainly find disappointment with any game design software unless you are aware of two pitfalls beforehand and know what you’re going to do to avoid them (or at the very least, reconcile with them) before you even get started.

Source: http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/easy-button1.jpg

Weekly posting

Hi, readers. I’m back again after another broken promise to tell you something that should excite you at least a bit. I’ve come up with an idea to help myself post more often, in each of my main online “hubs.”

I’m back in school again, and taking a pretty dense schedule, so I don’t have much time over the weekdays. But I decided to use the three weekends (Friday included, when I have no class lectures) to post to three different places.

Friday = SoulScroll blog
Saturday = YouTube channel
Sunday = My Megaman Battle Network FanFic (you can also read it on the Chrono X Forums)

I’m trying to do this because I really do want to start writing and posting again. I just get caught up in all the other stuff that’s been dominating my life recently, and all this stuff just slips my mind. But don’t mistake this for not caring about any of the above–I do care, and that’s exactly why I’m trying to make this new thing work.

Don’t take this schedule totally seriously. That is, I might change things around, like post something to this blog on Thursday and then NOT post on Friday. Basically, what I’m trying to do with this is post once a week at the least, which is definitely more than I’ve been doing lately.

Well, anyway, here’s the obligatory BS filler post. First real one will be next week. But I’ll try my very hardest to have something up by tomorrow on my youtube account, even if I have to do something like recording more of the Megamari Let’s Play. I really want to get up more piano videos, but we’ll see what happens.

Thanks for reading.

Verizon iPhone 4…and 5? “Yeah right,” or, “Yeah! Right!”

So, it’s finally the new year, that is, “early 2011″, the time when the Verizon iPhone 4 is (yet again) expected to appear. Incidentally, as many of you may know, Jobs likes to announce his shiny new iphone-related products in the summer, but more than likely if the VI4 does come out this year as expected by many writers (see this, this, this, and all the other google results…I can’t do everything for you!) it’ll be early on because, well, more time on the market = more money.

I gotta be honest. I’ve been waiting for this for a while. Ever since I’ve started developing apps for iPhone, I’ve developed a sort of techno-crush on it. So the VI4 would be a dream come true for me. However, supposedly Apple is planning on releasing the iPhone 5.

The Greatest Game Design Sin of All

(Sorry, this was written a week or so ago, but somehow I forgot to click publish…)

SoulRed is back y’all! School ended so I’ve finally got some (SOME) free time to write to this blog. I’ve had quite a few post ideas saved as drafts for a while and now I get to write one of them. And this will actually be a real blog post, not another here’s-a-blog-post-to-keep-you-happy-that-doesn’t-actually-say-anything-interesting.

So this blog post is about the greatest game design sin of all, in my opinion of course. Perhaps there are worse things that others may cite, but this is what gets me the most. Note that I’m not including things like playability issues, etc. Just something in certain playable games that bugs me to no end. What is it? Well first I’ll give you a list of games that (again, in my opinion) commit this sin:

Megaman Battle Network, Megaman Battle Network 6, Megaman 5, Megaman 6, Megaman Zero 2, Megaman X6, Sonic 2006, Sonic Advance 2, Super Mario Bros., Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland, Almost every level-based RPG if you train enough, …

And these are just out of the games I’ve played (and only the ones I can think of right now). What do they all have in common? Read on to find out!

Must…write…blog…

I hate those periods of time when I don’t write to this blog. I wish I had more dedication so that I could have a new post up every week, but, well, ya know, I don’t. I guess part of the problem is that school has taken over my life lately, and therefore I haven’t had time to do or find anything worth mentioning. Then again, I do have some ideas for posts, but I haven’t had time to flesh them out, let alone actually write them. Anyway, I suppose the least I could do is change the poll.

Most blog writers need to have posts every few days, and here I am lazily putting up a filler post after, what, a few months? (yes, I’m too lazy to check the date right now) Well, here is my official apology. Do you feel that? That’s my apology. It’s lingering around you waiting to be accepted. Do you feel its official-ness? Listen; it’s whispering in your ear, “accept me, accept me, accept me…” Accept it, dear reader, and your life will be filled with color and purpose.

…

Yeah, I need sleep.

Oh Apple…

I’m a mac. I’ll be the first to admit it, and I’m not ashamed. I’m a mac person. I love Apple products, more than I do Microsoft or otherwise PC-related products. I have my reasons, but in an effort to not turn this post into a Mac/PC war, I’ll just leave them out.

Anyway, as I’m sure everyone knows (and if you don’t, well, get out from under your rock and take in sunlight, you know, that stuff that comes from the bright hot ball in the sky), Apple recently released the iPhone 4. I don’t have one myself (I’m waiting for an announcement for an upgraded iPod Touch), but I find it quite funny what’s been going on.

Debugging: Get good at it!

You know, the only thing more satisfying than having a bunch of code work the first time you program it, is FINALLY finding that bug that’s been haunting you during six hours of debugging. The debugging sucks (having to set up debug messages/logs, breakpoints, etc.) but as much as I’d rather not have to debug, I’m not that worried about bugs in general because due to all my experience I know that I’m good at debugging.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/tcr/lowres/tcrn102l.jpg

No, this blog post isn’t just to brag about the fact that I’m good at debugging (nor is it about monkeys, though that would be very cool), but rather to make an important point: Learning to debug is an EXTREMELY important skill for every programmer, and it is NOT the same as being “good” at programming. Debugging, in my opinion, is a logical process separate from the ability to write code and fix problems, and if you can’t debug, then you’ll likely never finish any project except by luck (i.e. not ever typing a bug in the first place); or at the very least, it’ll take you a very long time.

SoulHow to not get Phished

Reportedly the number of monthly phishing attempts in my state have risen to an all-time high. Therefore I thought it appropriate to write some ways to NOT get phished, and how to identify a common characteristics of a phishing attempt, whether email or web based. Many of my readers probably already know this, but if you do know about phishing but also know of others who don’t, I encourage you to pass this information on to them so they don’t potentially lose a lot of money.

But first, I need you to go here and log in with your paypal details so I know who read this article.

………

………

Got you? You DEFINITELY need to read this article. Seriously, like, NOW.
Didn’t get you? You still might need to read this article.

So yeah, bottom line, you should probably read the article. Just sayin’.

How to Lie Online

What?! SoulRed12 is going to teach you to do something naughty?

Yes, friends. If you want to lie online, here’s how you do it. Just follow these steps EXACTLY.

SoulHow to Write an Interesting Video Game Story

I know I’ve been away for a while, but I’ve finally finished my final final exam, so here’s a present for you all: a new, long article. Yes, I’m technically putting it into my “soulhow” series, and I probably will be doing more, but the new soulhow articles will NOT be game-maker specific.

Anyway, one of the things so many amateur games are lacking, something that’s VERY important (in many games, but not all), is a story. And the thing that even the games that have a story (including some commercial ones) don’t have, is a GOOD story.

The story is actually one of my favorite parts of a video game, possibly because music in a lot of video games is meant to enhance it. So now, I’ve considered a lot of good game stories, and a lot of bad game stories, as well as some good game stories that have some issues. And here, I’m going to outline what I’ve found, for you, and only you. Actually, for you and everyone else who wants to read. Sorry if you thought you were special or something.

*Warning: I am using examples from stories of commercial games in the sections below. They may contain minor spoilers.*